August 2008

IVN's Active Citizenship in Tuba Zangariya

IVN believes that only in a democracy can the individual be an active partner in shaping the public space, thereby making full use of his/her talents as well as making a contribution to strengthening the society. Launched in 2004, the Education for Active Citizenship program, a strategic partnership of the Israel Venture Network and the New Israel Fund, was designed to address these issues. The program is unique in that it provides students in Israeli schools grounding for a rich and life-long engagement with and commitment to the issues of civil society, democracy and community activism The program was launched in the Bedouin village of Tuba Zangariya, located in the Galilee, in 2006.

Within the framework of the Active Citizenship program and with the cooperation between IVN and the Department of Education at the Nachum Guttman Museum of Art, the museum's team was hosted in the Bedouin village of Tuba Zangryia. Over a period of 4 days, an arts event for 3rd and 4th graders, themed "Your Environment", took place. The children were exposed to the varied works of the artist and to the values he represented – love of the place and of man. Under the guidance of the museum's team and the inspiration derived from Nachum Guttman's art, the children created paintings, illustrations and sculptures, which examined their identity, both as individuals and as part of something larger. The highlight of the 4 day event was the huge wall drawings on the school walls, the result of joint work between the professional illustrators from the museum team and the students. The wall drawings are based on the event theme "Your Environment" both in the past and future, depicting regional imagery and as well as images reflecting their Middle Eastern way of life and their personal, social and national yearnings for a better world in the future.

We welcome our members to come and visit our projects onsite. If you are planning a trip to Israel, we would be happy to coordinate a short visit to one of IVN's projects.